Take a Minute for Fair Pay!

I
don’t know about you, but I’d like to close the wage gap between men
and women in my lifetime. And with the Paycheck Fairness Act we have an
opportunity to take another step toward making that happen. This Equal Pay Day, join me in
urging the U.S. Senate to support the Paycheck Fairness Act.

It
only takes a minute, and it could make a real difference for you and
the mothers, sisters, friends and others in your life. Click the link
below to send a letter to your Senators today!

I just took action with MomsRising in honor of Equal Pay Day. Will you take action too, and stand up for fair pay for women? Here's some more info:

I have to admit. Sometimes it gets tiring saying and re-saying: “Women need equal pay for equal work.” After all, isn’t that something that got fixed several decades ago? An old problem that disappeared decades ago when separate want ads for men and women stopped?

Not.

In fact, equal pay for equal work is so not resolved that today—April 20, 2010—is the date in 2010 to which women must work to earn what men earned in 2009. Yes, it’s Equal Pay Day today.

And please take a moment now to also forward this email to your friends and family so they can take action too. It’s going to take many, many voices to remind the Senate that playing “ostrich” and sticking their heads in the sand won’t make this problem go away. (Remember the U.S. Senate is comprised of only 17% women at this point, so our reminding them to take action on fair pay is much needed).

You might now be wondering: What’s with this pay inequity for women anyway? Here are a few cold hard facts to fire up your engines for contacting your Senators:

- On the whole, women working full-time, year-round make an average of 77 cents to every dollar that men make. [1]- Mothers are particularly hard-hit by the wage gap. Moms have an increased wage hit and still make only 73 cents to every dollar that men make, while single mothers make even less at about 60 cents to every dollar that men make. [2]- Given equal resumes and job experiences mothers are offered $11,000 lower starting salaries than non-mothers. Interestingly, fathers are offered higher starting salaries thank non-fathers. [3]- The average woman loses $700,000 in pay due to gender discrimination in her lifetime. For women of color, this number can be even higher. [4]

Fired up yet? I am.

$700,000 would go a long way—especially considering how tough it is for many families to make ends meet during this economic downturn.

Did you know that according to the USDA, 1 in 4 children in our nation are experiencing food scarcity due to family economic limitations? Given that women are now 50% of the labor force, and that 80% of women have kids by the time they are 44 years old, cutting down the wage gap would go a long, long way to help our country’s children and families. Not to mention, it's just the right thing to do!

Speaking of help: Passing the Paycheck Fairness Act would help narrow the wage gap by giving the 46-year-old Equal Pay Act a much-needed update. It’s a comprehensive bill that would:

- Create stronger incentives for employers to follow the law;

- Empower women to negotiate for equal pay;

- Strengthen federal outreach, education and enforcement efforts;

- Deter wage discrimination by strengthening penalties for equal pay violations and by prohibiting retaliation against workers who ask about employers' wage practices or disclose their own wages.Many opponents of fair pay legislation blame the wage gap on women "choosing" to make less than men. But the data shows over and over again that in a straight across line up of equal resumes, women are still paid less than men for the same work. [5] It's time for that to change.

This bill has already passed the House, and the President stands ready to sign it, so the ball is in the Senate’s court. You know it, I know it, and your Senators need to know it: We’re tired of unequal pay for equal work. And, in these tough economic times pay equity is even more critical, not simply to family economic security, but also to the nation's economic recovery.

Thank you. Together we are a powerful voice for women, children, and families.